Like many (most?) flowering cherries in the Puget Sound area, 'Kanzan' prone to a number disease issues that can shorten its lifespan.

Nevertheless very common here and often rather large.

Here is a link that might be useful: Montlake flowering cherry trees: Know your sato zakura

This post was edited by bboy on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 14:06

I have a number of "dwarf" varieties of them (grown on Gisela or some such "dwarf" root stock) that are doing fine so far, in ground about four years.

you planted it upside down.

...although a refreshing break from 90-degree postings from cell phones.

Must be in the southernmost part of town.

Actually it is on the west side of my house about twelve miles south of the Canadian border :)